Advocaat confident as he names his Korea squad

SEOUL, May 11 (Reuters) - South Korea coach Dick Advocaat named a balanced and versatile squad on Thursday for next month's World Cup finals in Germany.

South Korea, who reached the last four in the 2002 World
Cup finals on home soil before losing to Germany, meet Togo in
their opening Group G game on June 13.

'We think we have a very balanced squad and one that can
surprise a lot of people in the world,' Advocaat told a news
conference.

'We are capable of at least the second round,' he said,
adding that anything can happen in a major tournament when it
gets to the knock-out stages.

The squad blends well-known players who have established
their reputations by playing in Europe with those who have
continued to develop at home.

The best-known players in the squad are Manchester United
winger Park Ji-sung, who shone at the 2002 finals, and
Tottenham Hotspur defender Lee Young-pyo.

Advocaat also opted for the experience of defender Choi
Jin-cheul, a key member of Guus Hiddink's 2002 team, and
wingback Song Chong-gug, who returned to Korea after a
disappointing couple of years at Feyenoord.

MSV Duisburg forward and fan favourite Ahn Jung-hwan also
made the squad but there was no place for Cha Du-ri, the son of
former national coach Cha Bum-kun.

'We have players who have already played in the World Cup
finals,' said Advocaat, adding that his team would be helped by
that experience and their subsequent increased international
exposure.

'The disadvantage is that we play away,' he said.

South Korea suffered a lengthy hangover following the 2002
World Cup and the departure of their highly-successful Dutch
coach Guus Hiddink.

Both of Hiddink's immediate successors, Portugese Humberto
Coelho and another Dutchman, Jo Bonfrere failed to sustain the
high standards set at Japan-Korea 2002.